Quick-Start on Debian systems

The reStructuredText tools are installed in the normal system path by the Debian python-docutils package. To convert reStructuredText to another format, use a shell command like:

rst2html /usr/share/doc/python-docutils/FAQ.txt ./FAQ.html

See Usage below for details.

Quick-Start on other systems

This is for those who want to get up & running quickly.

1. Docutils requires Python (version 2.4 or later), available from

   http://www.python.org/

   See Requirements below for details.

2. Use the latest Docutils code. Get the code from the Subversion repository or from the snapshot:

   http://docutils.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/docutils/trunk/docutils/?view=tar

   See Releases & Snapshots below for details.

3. Unpack the tarball in a temporary directory (not directly in Python's site-packages), go to the directory created by expanding the archive, and run setup.py install with admin rights. On Windows systems it may be sufficient to double-click install.py.

   See Installation below for details.

4. Use the front-end scripts to convert reStructuredText documents. Try for example:

   rst2html.py FAQ.txt FAQ.html         (Unix)
   python tools/rst2html.py FAQ.txt FAQ.html  (Windows)
   

   See Usage below for details.

Purpose

The purpose of the Docutils project is to create a set of tools for processing plaintext documentation into useful formats, such as HTML, XML, and LaTeX. Support for the following sources has been implemented:

• Standalone files.
• PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals).

Support for the following sources is planned:

• Inline documentation from Python modules and packages, extracted with namespace context.
• Email (RFC-822 headers, quoted excerpts, signatures, MIME parts).
• Wikis, with global reference lookups of "wiki links".
• Compound documents, such as multiple chapter files merged into a book.
• And others as discovered.

Releases & Snapshots

While we are trying to follow a "release early & often" policy, features are added very frequently. Since the code in the Subversion repository is usually in a bug-free state, we recommend that you use the current snapshot (which is usually updated within an hour of changes being committed to the repository):

• Snapshot of Docutils code, documentation, front-end tools, and tests: http://docutils.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/docutils/trunk/docutils/?view=tar
• Snapshot of the Sandbox (experimental, contributed code): http://docutils.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/docutils/trunk/sandbox/?view=tar

To keep up to date on the latest developments, download fresh copies of the snapshots regularly or use a working copy of the Subversion repository.

Requirements

To run the code, Python must be installed. Docutils is compatible with Python versions from 2.4 up to 2.7 and versions 3.1 and 3.2 (cf. Python 3 compatibility).

Docutils uses the following packages for enhanced functionality, if they are installed:

• The Python Imaging Library, or PIL, is used for some image manipulation operations.
• The Pygments syntax highlighter is used for content of code directives and roles.

Project Files & Directories

• README.txt: You're reading it.
• COPYING.txt: Public Domain Dedication and copyright details for non-public-domain files (most are PD).
• FAQ.txt: Frequently Asked Questions (with answers!).
• RELEASE-NOTES.txt: Summary of the major changes in recent releases.
• HISTORY.txt: A detailed change log, for the current and all previous project releases.
• BUGS.txt: Known bugs, and how to report a bug.
• THANKS.txt: List of contributors.
• setup.py: Installation script. See "Installation" below.
• install.py: Quick & dirty installation script. Just run it. For any kind of customization or help though, setup.py must be used.
• docutils: The project source directory, installed as a Python package.
• docs: The project documentation directory. Read docs/index.txt for an overview.
• docs/user: The project user documentation directory. Contains the following documents, among others:
  • docs/user/tools.txt: Docutils Front-End Tools
  • docs/user/latex.txt: Docutils LaTeX Writer
  • docs/user/rst/quickstart.txt: A ReStructuredText Primer
  • docs/user/rst/quickref.html: Quick reStructuredText (HTML only)
• docs/ref: The project reference directory. docs/ref/rst/restructuredtext.txt is the reStructuredText reference.
• licenses: Directory containing copies of license files for non-public-domain files.
• tools: Directory for Docutils front-end tools. See docs/user/tools.txt for documentation.
• test: Unit tests. Not required to use the software, but very useful if you're planning to modify it. See Running the Test Suite below.

Generated directories when installing under Python 3:

• build: Converted sources.
• test3: Converted tests.

Installation

The first step is to expand the .tgz archive in a temporary directory (not directly in Python's site-packages). It contains a distutils setup file "setup.py". OS-specific installation instructions follow.

Usage

There are many front-end tools in the unpacked "tools" subdirectory. Installation under Unix places copies in the PATH. You may want to begin with the "rst2html.py" front-end tool. Most tools take up to two arguments, the source path and destination path, with STDIN and STDOUT being the defaults. Use the "--help" option to the front-end tools for details on options and arguments. See Docutils Front-End Tools (docs/user/tools.txt) for full documentation.

On a Debian system the included tools (with the exception of quicktest.py and the development tools in the dev/ directory) are installed into the normal system path, so you can run rst2html.py with a command like:

rst2html example.txt example.html

The package modules are continually growing and evolving. The docutils.statemachine module is usable independently. It contains extensive inline documentation (in reStructuredText format of course).

Contributions are welcome!

Converting the documentation

After unpacking and installing the Docutils package, the following shell commands will generate HTML for all included documentation:

cd <archive_directory_path>/tools
./buildhtml.py ../

On Windows systems, type:

cd <archive_directory_path>\tools
python buildhtml.py ..

The final directory name of the <archive_directory_path> is "docutils" for snapshots. For official releases, the directory may be called "docutils-X.Y.Z", where "X.Y.Z" is the release version. Alternatively:

cd <archive_directory_path>
tools/buildhtml.py --config=tools/docutils.conf          (Unix)
python tools\buildhtml.py --config=tools\docutils.conf   (Windows)

Some files may generate system messages (warnings and errors). The docs/user/rst/demo.txt file (under the archive directory) contains five intentional errors. (They test the error reporting mechanism!)

Running the Test Suite

The test suite is documented in Docutils Testing (docs/dev/testing.txt).

To run the entire test suite, open a shell and use the following commands:

cd <archive_directory_path>/test
./alltests.py

Under Windows, type:

cd <archive_directory_path>\test
python alltests.py

For testing with Python 3 use the converted test suite:

cd <archive_directory_path>/test3
python3 alltests.py

You should see a long line of periods, one for each test, and then a summary like this:

Ran 1111 tests in 24.653s

OK
Elapsed time: 26.189 seconds

The number of tests will grow over time, and the times reported will depend on the computer running the tests. The difference between the two times represents the time required to set up the tests (import modules, create data structures, etc.).

If any of the tests fail, please open a bug report, send email, or post a message via the web interface (see Bugs). Please include all relevant output, information about your operating system, Python version, and Docutils version. To see the Docutils version, use one of the rst2* front ends or tools/quicktest.py with the --version option, e.g.:

cd ../tools
./quicktest.py --version

Windows users type these commands:

cd ..\tools
python quicktest.py --version

Getting Help

If you have questions or need assistance with Docutils or reStructuredText, please post a message to the Docutils-users mailing list.